Vehicle seat with a temperature control unit

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat with a temperature control unit is composed of a plurality of ditches installed on a surface of a seat pad covered with the second plate having a vent and a divergence department on a surface of a seat pad covered with the first plate, wherein the presence of a plurality of ditches on a surface of a seat pad and a divergence department to diverge a heated or cooled air sent from a blower to each ditch give good ventilation of a heated or cooled air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit, which sends a heated or cooled air from the back of a seat cushion or a seat back to the surface.

2. Description of Prior Art

Among various sorts of vehicle seats with a temperature control unit, there have been known a seat cushion and a seat back having a ditch on a surface of a seat pad made by a foaming material, wherein a heated or cooled air is sent from the blower located on the back of a seat back to a ditch through a ventilation aperture in a seat pad, and a heated or cooled air sent to a ditch is supplied from a trim cover bearing good breathability coating a seat pad to a surface of a seat cushion and a seat back (as disclosed from Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-327362 for example).

In this conventional method a ditch is filled up by knitting in order to maintain good breathability, because a ditch is blocked by pressure of an occupant sitting on a ditch. Additionally, a pad composed of three-dimensional shaped mesh knitting is laid between a trim cover and a seat pad. Therefore, as the constitution to maintain a ventilation in a ditch becomes complicated in this conventional method its cost rises, and moreover there is also a malfunction that its ventilation and transmission efficiency of a heated or cooled air is inferior. For example, when a film-shaped occupant detecting sensor used for an occupant posture detection system installed in a passenger seat is arranged on a surface of a seat pad, a tear of an occupant detecting sensor may happen by imposition of an occupant detecting sensor to the opening edge of a ditch. Additionally, there is a fear that a decline of appearance quality of a seat occurs because a hollow based on a fall of a trim cover to a ditch is easy to be formed on a surface of a seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above problems in the conventional method, the present invention has a first object to provide a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit to send a heated or cooled air smoothly to the best place of a seat. In order to achieve such an object, a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit related to the present invention is composed of a seat pad bearing a plurality of ditches on a surface of a seat pad, a blower to send a heated or cooled air to the surface of a seat pad, and a divergence department to send a heated or cooled air sent from the blower to a plurality of ditches, wherein it furnishes the first plate having non-breathability to cover a surface of a seat pad in a divergence department and the second plate having non-breathability to cover a surface of a plurality of ditches in a surface of a seat pad, and at the same time the second plate is composed of a vent making it possible to discharge a heated or cooled air from a plurality of ditches partially. It is preferable to keep flexibility both of the first plate and the second plate in order to follow the weight at the time of sitting of an occupant flexibly. Therefore, a divergence department surface of a seat pad is covered with the first plate having non-breathability, and a ditch surface of a seat pad corresponding to the sitting place of an occupant is covered with the second plate having a vent. Even if an occupant makes sitting in a seat, a ditch cannot be occupied by his weight and a divergence department is not filled with heat because of taking the structure mentioned above. Furthermore, a heated or cooled air is sent to the most suitable point of the second plate because a vent is established to the second plate. Additionally, a vent is arranged only on a necessary part of the second plate, and a ditch of other parts except a vent is covered with the second plate and a ditch of a divergence part is covered with the first plate respectively. Therefore, a heated or cooled air is sent to the end of a ditch effectively.

The present invention has a second object to provide the system to prevent a tear of an occupant detecting sensor by imposition of an occupant detecting sensor to the opening edge of a ditch because of his weight at the time of sitting of an occupant when a film-shaped occupant detecting sensor used for an occupant posture detection system installed in a passenger seat is arranged on a surface of a seat pad. As a film-shaped occupant detection sensor used for an occupant posture detection system installed in a passenger seat is arranged on a surface of a seat pad, the presence of the first plate and the second plate covered a surface of a ditch prevents a tear of an occupant detecting sensor by imposition of an occupant detecting sensor to an opening edge of a ditch because of his weight at the time of sitting of an occupant.

The present invention has a third object to provide the system to prevent a decline of appearance quality of a seat. The presence of the first plate and the second plate covered a ditch prevents a decline of appearance quality of a seat because of a fall of a trim cover made by a cloth to a ditch. (Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-090239)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit.

FIG. 2 shows an elevation view of a seat back of a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a II-III line sectional view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a IV-IV line sectional view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded elevation view of an essential part.

FIG. 6 shows an elevation view of an essential part.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an essential part of other embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows an elevation view of an essential part of other embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle seat with a temperature control unit related to the present invention is composed of a plurality of ditches (10) on a surface of a seat pad made by a foaming material covered by a trim cover (2) as seen from FIG. 1, a plurality of ditches (10) covered with the second plate 8 having vents (B1) - - - , and a divergence department (10A) in a plurality of ditches (10) to diverge a heated or cooled air sent from the blower (3) covered with the first plate A. A trim cover (2) is made by a cloth used for a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit having breathability. As seen from FIG. 3, a ventilation aperture (11) is made so that a heated or cooled air sent from the blower (3) installed in the back of a seat pad (1) is sent to a surface of a seat pad (1). Both of the first plate A and second plate B are composed of plates of non-breathability consisting of synthetic resin plates, for example polyethylene terephthalate (PET thickness: 0.25 mm), having flexibility that can follow the surface transformation of a seat pad (1) by pressure in sitting of an occupant. A plurality of vents (B1) - - - are arranged in the second plate Bpartially, and a heated or cooled air sent from vents (B1) - - - to a ditch (10) is discharged to the side of an occupant on a surface of a seat through a trim cover (2). As seen from FIG. 6, when a surface of a ditch of a divergence department (10A) on a seat pad is covered with the first plate A and a surface of a ditch (10) on a seat pad (1) is covered with the second plate B, an adhesive such as both sides sticky tapes is used to fix them. The signal (5) in FIG. 3 shows a supporting member of a blower, and the signal (41) in FIG. 6 shows a sensor of a heated or cooled air. The first plate A and second plate B in FIG. 5 are shown for the independence, but these two plates may be formed as one body to be shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 3, a hanging ditch (12) is arranged on a surface of a seat pad (1), and a hanging part (20) is installed in the back of a trim cover 2. As seen from FIG. 3, a kind of device is performed in a point where a ditch (10) intersects a hanging ditch (12), so that a part of ditch (10) is not blocked by a hanging part (20). As seen from FIG. 8, an occupant detecting sensor (4) coated with a film is installed on a surface of a seat pad (1), and both ends (40) of an occupant detecting sensor (4) are installed on the first plate A, and either of the second plate B or both of the second plates 8 respectively. An occupant detecting sensor (4) in an upper position in FIG. 8 is covered on a surface of the first plate A, and both ends 40 of an occupant detecting sensor except an upper position are installed on both of the second plates B. In these cases, occupant detecting sensors (4) are covered on a surface of the first plate A and the second plate B. As these plates are installed on a divergence department (10A) of a ditch (10) on a surface of a seat pad (1), these ditches are not blocked by sitting of an occupant. Therefore, a damage such as a tear of a film-shaped occupant detecting sensor is prevented effectively. A vehicle seat with a temperature control unit has the structure as described above. A heated or cooled air sent from a blower (3) to a ventilation aperture (11) is discharged to a surface of a seat back through a trim cover (2) from vents (B1) - - - of the second plate B after supplying to each ditch (10) from a divergence department (10A). On this occasion, a divergence department (10A) is covered with the first plate A, and each ditch (10) is covered with the second plate B. Therefore, a divergence department and a ditch are not blocked by their crushing based on sitting of an occupant. A divergence department is not filled with heat of a heated or cooled air, and a heated or cooled air is efficiently sent to an end of each ditch (10). As a divergence department (10A) on a surface of a seat pad (1) and each ditch (10) are not destroyed by crushing based on sitting of an occupant, an outbreak of wrinkle of a trim cover (2) due to a deformation of a divergence department (10A) and a ditch (10) is prevented. Therefore, a trim cover (2) is not caved into a divergence department (10A) and a ditch (10) to maintain its appearance quality. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle seat with a temperature control unit is applied to not only a seat back but also a seat cushion. 

1. A vehicle seat with a temperature control unit comprising: a plurality of ditches on a surface of a seat pad; a blower to send a heated or cooled air to the surface of said seat pad; a divergence department to diverge an air sent from the blower into said plurality of ditches; a first plate having non-breathability to cover the surface of a seat pad in said divergence department; a second plate having non-breathability to cover the surface of a seat pad in said plurality of ditches; and the second plate partially having a vent making it possible to discharge an air from said plurality of ditches.
 2. The vehicle seat with the temperature control unit of claim 1 wherein the first plate and the second plate having flexibility.
 3. The vehicle seat with the temperature control unit of claim 1 wherein the first plate and the second plate are fixed on said seat pad with an adhesive.
 4. The vehicle seat with the temperature control unit of claim 1 wherein the first plate and the second plate are formed in one body.
 5. The vehicle seat with the temperature control unit of claim 1 wherein a film-shaped occupant detecting sensor is installed on a surface of the first plate or the second plate. 